Burton Bridge Thomas Sykes Old Ale

Brewed by Burton Bridge
Style: Barley Wine
Burton-on-Trent, England

Time to catch up before BCTC. On tap at Spuyten Duyvil big beer fest. Orange with ring head. Caramel cinnamon bready aroma. Caramle spice cinnamon spice english hop. Cloying. Bitter finish. Ok.

Cask at Delaney’s. Clear amber. Thick off-white head. Buttery aroma of simple sugar and cookies. A tad stale smelling. Nice mouthfeel, cask pull. Quaffable low carbonation. Interesting flavor profile is herbal, spicy, some alcohol, sweet in places and dry in others. Smooth. An intriguing drink.

Date: March 21, 2009
Mode: Firkin
Source: Brick Store Pub
Appearance: cloudy rusty orange, frothy beige head, streaks of lace
Aroma: sweet fruity aroma, light floral hops
Flavor: sweet and fruity flavor, generally light but full of flavor, nice depth on the fruityness, orange and apricot, just a hint of bitterness but the sweetness is pretty well restrained, hint of spicyness, light bitterness in the finish, hint of alcohol at the bottom of the glass
Overall: a light barley wine but really nice with the depth of the fruityness
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

On cask at Max’s In Baltimore. Poured a nice orange golden color with a frothy thick white head. Aroma was fruit, peaches, nectarines, a little citrus as well as some light caramel. Flavor was more peaches and light fruit. Alcohol was pretty strong in this one. Pretty nice beer.

Appearance: Pours a hazy, orange-amber body with a full inch of off-white foam on top that lasts until the very last sip. Smell: Honey-glazed toffee with a handful of fruitcake crumbles and a tot of white wine served on the side. Taste: Sweet blend of honey and toffee candy washed down with some Sauvignon blanc. Short-lived fruitiness. Herbal hops with a medium bitterness. The alcohol component in this one is rather boisterous, occasionally delivering some hotness. Long, dry finish with a sweet, winey taste. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-low carbonation. Just a touch sticky. Drinkability: A decent English-born cask ale, but, I must say, one pint was more than enough for me.

Cask @ Brick Store Pub. Big sweet fruit aroma, with a bit of pepper, and a lot of alcohol. Flavor was moderately bitter and hot, with some toffee...enjoyable on cask until the end which was a weird metallic finish.

Cask at the Chelsea Pier Cask Ale festival. The aroma had a wierd metallic quality, along with some malty sweetness. The color was a brownish yellow, usually pale for an Old Ale or a Barley Wine, white head. The flavor has a malty, fruity quality, with some alcohol coming through. The finish is sweet, with very light hops noticeable. Not bad overall.

Cask at Spuyten Duyvil. Dead appearance. Sweetish flavor but with a chemical astringency. Loaded with cyanide and formaldehyde. A buttery mess. Very hard to drink.